The Book: By all accounts, Venable is as much project as prospect, owing to the fact he devoted equal time to playing basketball at Princeton as well as baseball. (The only other player to win All-Ivy honors in both sports is Padres pitcher Chris Young.) Venable's intelligence and overall athleticism serve him well, as does the fact he grew up the son of a major leaguer, Portland hitting coach Max Venable. Desperate for a center fielder who can handle the spaciousness of Petco Park, the Padres think that guy could very well be Venable, whose gait is built more for chasing down fly balls and legging out triples than stealing bases. Arm strength has been diminished, however, by a shoulder problem that put him on the DL last month. The words you always hear about Venable -- still developing a power stroke to complement his size -- are "tremendous upside."

Outlook: "It's funny, because the closer I get to having an opportunity to play in the big leagues, the less it's in my head," Venable said. "For whatever reason, my mind-set is that I've got things to do here, improvements to make, take care of today's business. ... I think we're all in a good situation. There'll definitely be movement and guys will get opportunities with the Padres, as opposed to playing for some powerhouse (organization) who's got guys making a lot of money."